What’s Your Story?

TOWPATH TRAIL YMCA

Stronger than you Think: A Passion for Power
October 2018

Dave Van Brocklin didn’t always dream of

becoming the powerlifting champion and Hall of
Famer he is today. In fact, he started out as an
eighth grader looking to gain some strength to
make the high school football team and his uncle,
Norman Van Brocklin, the third best football player
to ever live, was his inspiration. With that in mind,
his dad bought him a set of 100 lb barbells that he
used to work out in his garage. Lifting became his
passion and his stress reliever from there on out. It wasn’t until college that
Dave realized he wasn’t cut out to be a pro football player and after seeing an
article about the world’s strongest man in a magazine, he eventually switched
sports to try his hand at Olympic weightlifting.

He spent a lot of time devoting himself to the sport, but eventually came to
the same conclusion as he did with football. He wasn’t strong enough to
compete in the Olympics as a weightlifter, so he turned to powerlifting, the
avenue that would lead him to lift heavier weights and enhance his strength.
Powerlifting is a sport of a different style, working different ranges of
muscles and brining out different strengths and weaknesses in Van Brocklin
than had football or Olympic weightlifting. The sport consists of three
different lift styles: the squat, bench press, and deadlift, each working a
different set of muscles and unlike Olympic weightlifting, the weights
remained below eye level.

Dave has had the privilege of competing all over the world in powerlifting,
first starting locally and then progressing through the ranks until he began
travelling overseas to places such as South Africa. He finally earned his
induction into the Powerlifting Hall of Fame in 2006 with his best lifts
equaling that of an “elite total.” His elite total consisted of a squat with a
weight of 716 lbs, a bench press of 446 lbs, and a dead lift of 606 lbs.
Combined he lifted 1,788 lbs that day. Throughout it all, his family, primarily
his two daughters and grandchildren, of whom he is immensely proud of, have
been his motivation for both his powerlifting career as well as all his
aspirations in life.

Now, after having been retired for fifteen years, he lifts less weight than he
used to, but don’t let that fool you. He still shows up to the YMCA almost
daily, never taking a break from his workouts. Although he has had to adapt
to the equipment at the gym, he still gives his workouts 100% of his devotion
and dedication stating, “I’ll probably workout ‘til the day I die” and his favorite
quote being the classic, “No pain, no gain.”

Dave has been a part of the TOWPATH TRAIL YMCA for eleven months after
having moved here from California. When asked what his favorite memory
from his powerlifting career is, he responds with all the people that he has
met along the way. Some of them have passed away and others are still lifting
competitively, but there’s not a person that he regrets working out with.
Although they all come from different backgrounds and have different
personalities, when they come together to workout at the gym, they are a
brotherhood that refuses to be forgotten and one that seems to stand the
tests of time.

Out of it all, Dave hopes that people will take away motivation from his story.
The motivation to keep striving for what you want in life, whatever that may
be, and to never quit until you’ve accomplished your goal. He emphasizes the
idea of being your own motivation and sticking to your goals even when there
are days when you would rather throw in the towel and go home. He says,
“Sometimes you have to be your own motivation because not everyone
understands why you are doing something, so you’ve gotta go get it yourself.”

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
2 Chronicles 15:7

Written by Emma Stefanick

For further inquiries or to submit your own story, please contact the author at
estefanick@weststarky.org